The day of the dinner meeting with Sera and her father arrived much to Fidelis's relief. If he caught Amy bothering Sera again, he would probably beat her to a pulp. He had only despised one other female in his life with the same intense hatred as he had for Amy. He frowned. He didn't mean to think of Amanah and King Bayrel. He was glad not to encounter them in this new world he lived in. He shook his head. He needed to focus.
He spent the whole school day hovering near Sera. Finally, it was time to leave and head home to get ready for the dinner. He made it home in record time and got changed. He met up with his father and they left for Johnny's Story. He and his father enjoyed the food at the restaurant. The restaurant was owned locally by a family who had lived in Wise County for generations. The current descendants had a son who had gone to one of the top culinary schools in the United States. The son decided to bring his skills back home and thus Johnny's Story was established.
Getting into the restaurant required connections and took up to six months to get in. Thankfully, his father had helped the Owens family with a legal issue. They had been given a free pass to reserve and dine whenever they wished. Fidelis came out of his thoughts when his father cleared his throat.
"Yes, Father?"
"Son, a coin for your thoughts?"
Fidelis grinned. "Was thinking about the history of Johnny's Story."
"Ah. It is an amazing and inspiring story. I enjoy dealing with hardworking folks whether they be rich or poor."
He agreed with his father. "I'm also worried about Sera. Her emotions were all over the place at school. Right now I feel her anxiety. I wish I could make it better."
His father patted his shoulder. "You are doing good, my son. Your feelings do reach Sera. I'm sure of it."
Fidelis hoped so. He didn't know if Sera was even aware of her fated mark. He really needed to come clean and tell her the truth about himself. Soon, he promised himself. He wanted to give her a choice to stay with him despite being from different species. If she didn't want the same…he shied away from that train of thought. He would do whatever he could to keep her by his side.
He loved her that much. He wanted her happiness above all. Even if that meant he had to let her go. He felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest at that thought. No, he would not be negative. He needed to focus on this dinner. He got into the car with his father and went to Johnny's Story. They arrived early and were ushered to their seats.
Fidelis was anxious and restless. He knew some of the feelings were from Sera. He felt her through the fated mark. She was sad and afraid. He clenched his fist. He strove for a calm he did not feel. He would feel better once he saw her again. He glanced at his cell and saw the time. Sera should arrive any moment now. Sera's anxiety pulsed in the mark and he stood. He headed toward the front door and spotted Sera and her father.
"Sera!"
She looked up and she smiled back at him. She didn't move from behind her father. Fidelis noticed her position but said nothing. He directed his attention to Sera's father.
"Mr. Holland, thank you for coming."
"I appreciate the invite. Always happy to meet with fellow community leaders."
Fidelis gave a faint smile. So the man was poking at his father's stellar reputation. He wanted to laugh at Mr. Holland's arrogance. The human was foolish and didn't understand the value of such connections. Neither did Amy. He was amazed that Sera had a good head on her shoulders and a kind personality. Worlds different from her father and sister.
He stepped to the side of Mr. Holland and held out his hand. Sera stared at him in confusion.
"Shall we, Sera?"
She blinked and sneaked a glance at her father. After a small hesitation, she slid her hand into Fidelis's. He gently squeezed her hand and led them to the back table where his father was seated. His father stood with a grin.
"Sera! Glad you and your father could make it."
"Good evening, Mr. Lancaster," she quietly replied.
"Good evening, Mr. Holland. Thank you and your daughter for joining me and my son this evening," Fidelis's father said as he extended his hand and shook Mr. Holland's hand.
"It is a pleasure to be here. I've been trying to catch you for a while now but life seems to keep us both busy."
His father laughed. "True. Please have a seat."
"Sera, here," her father ordered, pulling out a chair for her to sit.
Fidelis felt her reluctance through the marks. He moved to sit beside her but her father beat him to it as he smoothly slid into the seat next to Sera. He frowned at Sera's father's behavior. He shrugged and sat across from Sera with his father sitting to his left.
The parents talked cordially for another few minutes until the waitress came for their drink order.
"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Johnny's Story. What can I get you to drink tonight?"
"I'll take a Sprite," Fidelis said.
"I'll take a Coke," his father ordered.
Fidelis saw Sera open her mouth before abruptly closing it at a glare from her father. He felt a flicker of anger flame to life. Sera dropped her head and her father ordered for them. Fidelis decided to object. Sera hated the taste of Coke. She preferred Dr. Pepper if soda was being ordered. Did her father not even know this most basic fact about his youngest daughter?
"Sera, are you alright with Coke?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she murmured.
Disbelief filled him and he frowned. He didn't like the fearful air around her. He wanted her to get what she wanted. He also hated that she was looking down and not at him.
Sera fully looked at him. "Coke is fine," she insisted.
"Okay," he agreed. He was annoyed by her father's high-handedness.
"Mr. Holland, I'm glad we could have dinner together. I just wanted to say how impressed I am with your daughter," Fidelis's father smoothly interjected.
"Before we continue, let's dispense with the formalities. You can call me Ben," her father said warmly to his father.
"I like that idea. You can call me Mark. And, of course, you know my son, Romeo."
"Indeed, my daughter has spoken highly of him."
"My son has done the same about Sera. When I met her in person, I understood why."
"Is that so? Good to hear," her father replied.
The waitress's arrival with their drinks stopped the polite talk for a moment. His father ordered appetizers and returned to speaking.
"As I was saying, I am impressed with Sera."
"Really? What has my daughter done to earn such praise from you?"
"I'll explain if you don't mind," Fidelis chimed in. He wanted to erase Mr. Holland's sarcastic words and make the man regret disregarding Sera.
"Sure, young man. I'm all ears."
"Well, for starters, she's ranked high in our class rankings."
Sera blinked and stared. Fidelis chuckled. "Sera, you look surprised. Did you not know?"
"I don't understand what you mean. Class rankings?"
He felt her confusion through the mark and took a few minutes to explain how the rankings and having a GPA worked. Her confusion changed to happiness and he smiled. He liked this emotion the best so far tonight.
"Okay, but what does that mean for my daughter?" her father asked.
Fidelis grinned. "Sera is in the top three of our senior class. Specifically, she is currently in third place."
His father gave Sera a reassuring smile. "My son is currently in first place. I was worried that none of his peers would be a challenge for him. I'm so glad, Sera, you are pushing him to do his best."
Sera gasped. Her emotions: elation, surprise, and worry, churned in the mark. Fidelis couldn't understand why she was worried. Being in third place was a good thing.
"I view her as my friendly rival in education," he continued with a pleased smile. "She is definitely giving me a run for my money."
"What about my sister?" she blurted out.
The waitress's arrival with their appetizers briefly halted the conversation. They placed their orders and Fidelis got angry at Sera's father ordering for her. The man didn't even consult her! He wanted to give Mr. Holland a piece of his mind but a nudge from his father's knee reminded him of their objective. It wasn't to antagonize Mr. Holland. They were trying to get Sera a reprieve from her abuser.
Sera glanced at Fidelis. "What place is my sister?"
"Amy? She's in sixth place at the moment."
"What?"
He felt her shock and heard her father's grunt of disbelief. Fidelis glanced at them and saw Sera pale. Fear rose in the mark and his gaze sharpened on the pair's expressions.
"Why is my oldest daughter in a lower spot?" her father growled.
"It's the classes she's taking."
"Explain," her father demanded.
"Sera is in all AP and Honors classes. They carry a higher point count. That makes her GPA higher."
Mr. Holland scowled. Tough luck, you evil bastard, Fidelis thought, delighted that Mr. Holland had to chew on the fact of Sera's impressive ranking.
"Sera, you should be proud of your ranking. If you maintain your grades, you could surpass my son. I would truly enjoy seeing that!" chortled his father.
She opened her mouth to respond but instead yelped. She doubled over and Fidelis reached for her.
"Sera!"
She gasped and blurted out, "Bathroom!" She slid from her seat and rushed toward the back of the restaurant to the bathrooms.
"Oh my! Is she okay?" his father exclaimed.
"I don't know. I'll go check on her." Fidelis rose and hurried after Sera. His wrist throbbed with her pain and fear.
When he was near the bathrooms he heard her quiet sobs. He rounded the corner and froze. She was leaning against the wall with her shirt pulled up. A rapidly forming bruise showed on her right side above her hip. Rage flooded his mind. This was too much! He had noticed the bruises on her arms and her wrist when she first arrived. He didn't say anything then because he didn't want to agitate her father.
However, the bastard had crossed the line! How dare he hurt Sera in front of him!
"What the hell, Sera?" he snarled, her tears stoking his rage.
She gasped, hastily wiped at her tears, and jerked her shirt down. She turned to escape into the bathroom but with two steps he was next to her. He placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her in place. She refused to look at him. Her shame and pain throbbed painfully in his mark.
"Did your father hurt you just now?"
Her shoulders slumped. Tension filled the air between them. He gently tilted her head up and stared into her watery violet eyes.
"Sera?" he said her name gently.
Her tears flowed again as she nodded, too upset to speak. She dropped her head again. Fidelis cursed under his breath. The urge to beat her father was strong. Maybe he could put a curse on the man. He smiled at that thought. He blanked his expression. He didn't want Sera to think he was enjoying her pain.
"Please, may I go to the bathroom?" she whispered.
His heart hurt at how broken and defeated she sounded. Yep, he needed to punish her father in some way.
He moved his hands and stepped back. Her head swung up and her eyes locked on his.
"Please don't tell my father we talked," she begged before fleeing inside the bathroom.
"Dammit!" he growled. He turned and walked back out to the main dining area. He came to a halt. Sera's father was coming straight at him.